Reputations
by Lovely SOS
Summary: Dan Cahill's world flips upside down when Natalie Kabra- the UK's darling new supermodel- comes to his tiny town. Dan's problems used to be normal, but now he has to take care of a prissy, jerk-y famous girl, all in the name of helping his sister pay for college and live her dreams or whatever. Small-time Attleboro is about to be shaken up by this incompatible pair...


**A/N**

_Hey guys! _

_So, I know it's been a while. But I miss FFN- to get myself back in the loop (I hope), I've come up with this story. It will be my first multi-chapter about Dan and Natalie. I hope you guys like it! Please review and let me know what you think, and as usual, thank you for reading. _

**-Natalie-**

"The theme is glamorous but affordable. Chic but inexpensive... And note that I said inexpensive, not cheap. Never cheap."

Scooter was droning on and on, but frankly, Natalie Kabra didn't care. All she was hearing was that her whole team- managers, agents, publicists- wanted her to spend a few weeks of her busy life in the middle of nowhere, promoting clothes for poor people. She was Natalie Kabra, the youngest, freshest model on the UK's media scene- at the end of the summer she was even going to be in a movie. She had much more important things to do and think about, but Scooter, her head publicist, would not stop talking about the fashion week he wanted her to do in America. She narrowed her beautiful amber eyes at him and swung her glossy dark hair over her shoulder.

"Scooter," she said calmly, "-all I'm hearing is that you want me to waste my time in some tiny American city." She leaned forward now, suddenly threatening. "I won't do it, no matter how long you try to keep me here. Are you trying to bore me to death?"

The publicist rubbed his temples. "Listen, Miss Kabra- I don't know how else to tell you this, but this opportunity is very important. It's a chance to be part of an original Zelda Renkov line. My angle isn't to waste your time, I assure you- it's to..." He hesitated, looking almost scared of Natalie. "It's to make you look a little less... cold."

"Cold?" Natalie asked boredly, not understanding what he meant. She considered firing him.

"Yes," Scooter said. "You need a more approachable look. The media hasn't been kind to you lately. If you help promote a line that is in the price range of average people, you may get a better rep. You can't keep modeling for only the most expensive brands and continue to be so... unfriendly." Scooter rushed on. "I've discussed it with the rest of the team and we all agree this could be a great step into getting the media to perceive you as a kinder, more approachable person. My final point is that it's in America, and you need more publicity there if you want to continue building your status."

Natalie glared at him. "I don't see why I have to miss the Chanel show for it," she said, not caring about becoming more 'approachable.'

"They overlap," Scooter said. He had already told her this a few times. "Zelda is up and coming, like you will be in America. If you partake in this event, you will improve your status, gain American publicity, and probably make a few ties with Zelda and her team. You know that this industry works on a who you know basis."

Natalie sighed. "Fine," she said, a bit snappily. She had a headache just thinking about what a low-class event it would be. "Just book me for the show. Where is it?"

Scooter's eyes fairly popped- Natalie knew he'd expected a much bigger battle with the young model, but he seemed happy to oblige in answering her question. "Attleboro, Massachusetts."

**-Dan-**

Dan Cahill was glad school was over.

All around Attleboro were signs of summer. The warm breeze, the kids hurrying home, all of them just as excited as he was... He felt an immense sense of freedom, and as he walked down the street to his house, he was grinning. As soon as he stepped in his front door, he would shed himself of his backpack, and he wouldn't have to feel that weight again until summer was over. He was so relieved. In his mind, he thought of all the things he could do in the coming weeks. _Sleep, eat, play video games…_

Dan hurried faster when he thought about video games.

Because summer vacation started _now,_ and he had survived Junior year of high school. Dan had never been exceptionally studious. With dark blond hair, jade green eyes and a wiry build, he had always been more of a class clown. He loved to laugh, and even more than that he loved to make other people laugh. Dan's sister, Amy, liked to remind Dan that he was smart and could get excellent grades if he only 'applied himself.' Even though Dan knew she was right, he usually just rolled his eyes when she said that. His amusement- and other people's- mattered more to him than book reports or science experiments. That was why he did stuff like wake his sister up with a leaf blower.

Thinking of Amy, Dan sped up even more, reaching the front steps of his house. Today was the day Amy was supposed to get her acceptance- or rejection- letter from Carnegie Mellon University. Dan tensed slightly, knowing how much Amy wanted to attend the school. ._If she doesn't get in, _he thought, preparing himself for the just-in-case,_ they're stupid not to want her._

He opened the front door.

Inside, he saw Amy right away, sitting on the couch. She was holding a letter and just... staring at it. Her cinnamon red-brown hair fell around her face, and her eyes, green like Dan's, were trained on the paper envelope. Dan frowned.

"Is that the letter?" He asked. He threw his backpack down on the floor, but his thoughts of summer vacation had evaporated. Amy looked like she needed him. He sat down beside her, seeing that she hadn't opened the letter yet. Amy turned to him, her eyes immediately filling with tears.

"Yes," she said quietly. "But it's just a letter, Dan. Usually if... If you're accepted, they send a packet with all the information. Their acceptance rate is so low..." She looked upset. Dan hated seeing her that way- even though he sometimes made fun of her, Amy was a good, hardworking person. This school was her dream, and Amy had been waiting for an answer from them for months. Dan tried not to frown.

"Open it," he said simply, not knowing how to counter her logic. He looked Amy square in the eyes. "You won't know the answer until you do," he said. "And if it's a no, you've been accepted to loads of other schools- any one of them would be lucky to have you." Amy wiped away her tears and Dan smiled at her, but inside he wished there was something he could do to help. He was useless in this situation; Amy's acceptance or rejection was nothing he could ever have a hand in, and it wasn't a good time for jokes. _Wow,_ Dan mused silently. _I can't believe I just thought that._

"Okay," she answered. "Thanks, Dan." Shaking a little bit, Amy tore open the letter and read it. Dan waited impatiently, holding his breath. Then he saw it. If she had been upset before, she was devastated now. She burst into tears after reading only a few lines, and Dan felt angry. Amy was the hardest working person he knew, and unlike himself, her grades were perfect. If Amy couldn't get into that school, he had no idea how anyone else could.

"There are other universities," he said quickly, hating this. He didn't know how to make it better. "Carnegie Mellon is stupid, anyway," he said, his teeth clenched. "I swear, I'm going to mail them a hungry shark-"

"N-no, Dan," Amy said, trying to wipe away her tears even as more flowed down her cheeks. She smiled. "I'm crying because I got in!"

"You... got in?"

"I got in!"

Surprise coursed through Dan, but suddenly, they were both laughing. Amy showed Dan the letter and hugged him tightly. When the front door opened and their legal guardian Nellie walked in a few minutes later, they practically tackled her, cheering and calling for celebration. Dan was grinning now; it was summer, Amy's dreams were coming true, and his favorite video game, Demonstroyer3, was waiting for him upstairs. His signature grin was back on his face.

"We're really going to party," Nellie said to Amy, beaming as much as Dan. "I totally bought you guys cream soda, and I'm about to go bake you guys a huge cake." Nellie hugged Amy. She was a rather... _eccentric_ young lady, currently sporting half-pink hair along with her favorite nose ring. It looked like a tiny snake curling around her nostril. Dan and Amy's parents died when he was young, and in the years after that they lived with their grandmother, Grace. But when she passed away, Nellie, who was once Grace's cook, became their legal guardian. She liked punk music, eyeliner and souffles.

Nellie hurried to the kitchen to start the cake, and Dan settled himself onto the couch again. He was relieved and happy- he felt like his energy was unlimited, but one look at Amy told him hers wasn't. "Hey Amy," he said, looking at his sister. "Why'd you stop jumping?"

Amy still looked happy, but not as much as before. She gave him a small smile, but then she sighed. "I'm just thinking. This school is expensive. Really, really expensive. I just... don't know how we can pay for it."

Dan shook his head. He didn't want Amy to be unhappy. "Don't worry about that right now, Amy," he said with a smile. "We'll think of a way to pay for it- I promise."

**A/N**

_Sorry if this was a little slow and short- introductions are necessary to get the ball rolling. Anyway, I hope you liked it!_

_Questions:_

_1) Who is your favorite 39 Clues character?_

_2) What did you eat for breakfast this morning?_

_3) What is your favorite hobby? _

_Thank you for reading!_

_~Lovely_


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